Harassment of girl student by cops: HC asks Kashi SSP to file personal affidavit

ALLAHABAD : The Allahabad high court has directed the SSP, Varanasi, to file a personal affidavit within two weeks in a case of alleged blackmailing of a nursing student by policemen.

The bench comprising justice Ramesh Sinha and justice VK Singh passed the order on a petition filed by the student, who demanded a CB-CID probe into the incident and protection from harassment by the police.

According to the petition, the girl, daughter of a poor farmer, moved from her village in Ballia to Varanasi after completing class 12. She joined a nursing course at a private institution and started living in a rented accommodation owned by Rajesh Kumar of Pandeypur in Varanasi. The girl alleged that on June 17, 2016, Kumar tried to outrage her modesty after which she informed S-I Vinod Singh about the incident.

She claimed that instead of lodging an FIR, Singh colluded with Kumar and let him off. She said her landlord, in connivance with Singh, lodged an FIR against her at Cantonment police station of Varanasi on June 30, 2016, accusing her of extortion.

The petitioner claimed that after lodging the FIR, Singh and inspector KP Singh (then posted as S-I at Cantonment police station) started blackmailing her.

The girl alleged that inspector KP Singh, presently posted as inspector at Lanka police station in Varanasi, started sending abusive and obscene messages to her and threatened her that she would be arrested if she did not establish physical relation with him and Vinod Singh.

The girl lodged a complaint with the SSP, Varanasi, after which an FIR was lodged on August 23, 2016.

Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Bhuwan Raj argued that more than a year had passed but not much progress had been made in the investigation of the girl’s complaint against the police officers while in the extortion case against the girl, the police filed a charge sheet on January 11, 2017. “As the accused are police officers, investigation has not progressed in the case. Hence, investigation of this case must be transferred to the CB-CID to ensure fair investigation,” he said.

The court directed that the case should be listed for hearing after two weeks.